


Framed Photograph

by DegrassiFanatic



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Brotherly Bonding, Brotherly Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:08:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28375965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DegrassiFanatic/pseuds/DegrassiFanatic
Summary: “My parents hated him but I thought he was this good guy.” Buck confesses with a heavy sigh, “He was the closest thing I had to a positive male role model in my life. He used to take me out to the arcade, used to give me all of his old video games, used to buy me pizza. He would even come to my stupid school plays, something my dad didn’t even do.”“And then he hit Maddie.” Chimney states and Buck can hear how hard he is trying not to break with the words.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley & Howie "Chimney" Han, Maddie Buckley/Howie "Chimney" Han
Comments: 4
Kudos: 81
Collections: 9-1-1 Tales





	Framed Photograph

**Author's Note:**

> warning for domestic abuse mention/reference
> 
> also yes it is i back on my bullshit once more.

Behind the window panes of Chimney’s apartment, Buck watches as the rain patters against the glass from his spot on the couch. By his feet, Joy crawls around on her hands and knees, a soft plush blanket beneath her, toys scattered around her. The coffee table has been pushed aside to make room for her activities. 

After some rustling around, Chimney emerges from the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn in hand. At the sound of his steps, Joy whips her head around to the sight of her dad and proceeds to make a squealing noise that Buck can only interpret as excitement. As quickly as she possibly can, she rushes over to Chimney and latches onto the fabric of his pants. 

“Whoa, there, buddy,” Chim says through a laugh as he holds the bowl of popcorn higher, “This is a choking hazard until you’re four.”

Joy must realize she’s not going to get popcorn anytime soon and lets go of her dad’s leg with a noise of discontent before being distracted by her toys once more. Once released from the clutches of his daughter, Chimney strides over to Buck and plops down on the couch as he sets the bowl down the empty couch cushion between them. 

“Thanks for doing this, by the way.” Chim says while he picks up soda cans from the side table, for both him and Buck. 

“Spending an evening with you and my favourite niece?” he asks with a lilt in his voice as he accepts the can of Pepsi from Chimney, “Sure as hell beats scrolling through my phone on my bed.”

“Still.” 

“You think Maddie’s enjoying her retreat?” Buck asks, casually. 

“She deserves to, after spending months not only taking care of Joy, but me too.” he huffs before picking up the T.V remote, “But, I know she’s probably worried sick.”

“Well, hopefully May, Athena, and Hen are keeping her mind elsewhere.” 

As Chimney scrolls through Netflix to select both an entertaining and kid appropriate film, Buck catches a glimpse of a newly framed photograph of Chimney, Maddie, and Joy hanging on the wall, just above the T.V.

It’s such a stark contrast to the photographs Buck was used to seeing, the ones he used to see in the house Maddie shared with Doug before he had left Hershey. Those photographs were all taken by a professional photographer, who would pose the two of them in loving poses and ask for genuine smiles that Maddie could not muster up, not on the spot, and certainly not with Doug’s hands on her shoulders. 

These photographs were nothing like that. 

These were candids taken by their friends and family members. These were moments nobody wanted to forget, moments everyone wanted to remember when things would get tough. Buck himself had taken the photograph that was currently up on the wall. It was of Maddie holding Joy in her arms as Chimney attempts to feed her, only to end up with mashed carrots down his shirt, much to the amusement of both Maddie and Joy.

“You okay?” Chimney questions as he catches Buck staring at the wall. 

“Yeah, sorry, it’s nothing.” he waves off as he redirects his attention to the T.V, “I was just thinking.”

“About?” 

Buck doesn’t want to talk about it. He doesn’t want to talk about Doug, not when it’s been so long since he’s been gone and not when he knows it’ll ruin the rest of the evening. He doesn’t want to trudge up any unpleasant memories for either of them, nor does he want Joy to even hear the name of that man. 

Not knowing what to say in response to his question, Buck simply keeps his mouth shut and hopes that Chimney will be able to smother his curiosity and let it go. 

“Buck…” he warns when it’s clear Buck isn’t going to be saying anything anytime soon. 

Letting out a sigh, Buck fiddles with the tab of the soda can in his hands, staring at it intensely .

“It’s… it’s about Doug.”

“Oh.” he hears Chimney say, “What about him?”

“Y’know I saw Doug hit Maddie once?” Buck admits as he steadily raises his head to look at the photograph on the wall.

“What?” he lets out. 

“Once, in our house, back when I was a kid,” Buck starts off, his eyes still staring at the frame hanging above the T.V, “Doug was walking past me and out the door. Didn’t even say goodbye like usual. I thought he was in a bad mood and so I went to Maddie’s room to talk to her about it. 

“She was on the floor, and she had this red mark on her face.” he reveals as he turns to look at Chimney, “I was about to go after Doug or call for my parents or do something but, then Maddie grabbed my arm and begged me not to. Said it was a one off.”

Buck remembers it like it was only yesterday.; the sight of his sister on the floor, cradling the side of her face, tears streaming down her cheeks and dripping off her chin. He remembers wanting to throw Doug down to the floor and see how he liked it but Buck was still only a kid and Doug was a teenager. If he could hurt the girl he was supposedly in love with, what did that mean for Buck?

“And you believed her?”

“At the time, yes. In some way, Maddie was sort of right.” Buck says with a humourless chuckle, “The next time Doug hit her, they were already in the second year of their marriage.”

Soon, silence blankets the two of them. The only sounds in the apartment are of the rain hitting the window and the occasional gurgling noise that escapes Joy’s little lungs. 

Even after all these years, Buck never forgave himself for that; for letting Doug walk out of their house that day without a confrontation at the least, for letting Maddie convince him everything was fine when it clearly wasn’t, for not being there for Maddie, for not being enough for her.

Maddie always took care of him and when it was time to repay the favour, Buck had failed her. Tremendously so. 

“I used to like Doug too.” Buck murmurs, more to himself than to Chim. 

“I thought Maddie said you guys hated him. You and your parents, I mean.”

“My parents hated him but I thought he was this good guy.” Buck confesses with a heavy sigh, “He was the closest thing I had to a positive male role model in my life. He used to take me out to the arcade, used to give me all of his old video games, used to buy me pizza. He would even come to my stupid school plays, something my dad didn’t even do.”

“And then he hit Maddie.” Chimney states and Buck can hear how hard he is trying not to break with the words. 

“Everything I knew about this guy was wrong.” he mumbles as he rubs his eyes with the heel of his palm, “After that, I did my best to never leave Maddie alone with him. I never left her alone with any guy after that. Even after she came to LA, no matter how much I trusted them. I didn’t leave them alone with her because I had trusted Doug and look at how that turned out.

“Except you.” Buck confesses, “I left her alone with you.”

“Me?” Chimney questions, sounding genuinely confused, “Why me?”

“I don’t know. I just...” Buck trails off, trying to string together the words, “I saw how happy Maddie looked with you and I don’t remember her looking like that with Doug.”

For a second or two, Chimney doesn’t say anything else and it makes Buck panic, praying that he hasn’t somehow messed everything up again like he always does. 

But, then he feels a calloused hand settle against the curve of Buck’s shoulder and Buck cannot recall ever feeling this comfortable with Doug’s touch when he was a little kid. 

“Thank you, Buck.” Chimney says, sincerely. 

“Nah, man, thank you. For everything.” he admits as he wipes at his suddenly runny nose, “For putting up with my bullshit back when I was Buck 1.0. For taking care of my sister. For taking care of my niece. 

“You’re a real good guy, Chim.” Buck says.

“You too, Buck.”

Swallowing hard, he tilts his head up to look at the framed photograph once more; a reminder that, for once, everything was fine, and that for once, no one was lying about it being fine.

**Author's Note:**

> yes i named the Madney baby Joy because that's what Maddie feels when she is with Chim and also if the 9-1-1 writers don't do that, that's just a missed opportunity.
> 
> Also Joy Han, Joy Buckley, or Joy Han-Buckley sound like such cute names. 
> 
> anywho, find me on degrassi-fanatic on tumblr to squeal about the upcoming season. also did anyone else notice season four is airing on the 18th of January, 1/18, get it like 118. i'm so smart, i know right.


End file.
